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Operation Epic Fury Is Peace Through Strength in Action
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, published Operation Epic Fury Is Peace Through Strength in Action on 9 March 2026. The author is Asher Fredman, a visiting fellow there. The page says the piece first ran in the Washington Examiner on 3 March 2026. An American family should care because he argues this Iran war should not be treated like Iraq, and he writes that a large deployment of American ground troops looks unlikely. That line is his judgment.
Evidence rating: MODERATE. This rates a named Heritage Foundation visiting fellow's forecast, first published in the Washington Examiner on 3 March 2026, that "any substantial deployment of American ground troops" appeared unlikely and that regime change was being left to Iranians.
What the article says
Fredman defends President Trump's decision to launch Operation Epic Fury. He says critics are using Iraq as a simple analogy, and that the analogy does not hold. He says Trump has offered full immunity to Iranian regime forces. He says Trump has made clear that any regime change is the Iranian people's responsibility.
It appears unlikely that there will be any substantial deployment of American ground troops.
Asher Fredman, The Heritage Foundation, 9 March 2026. The page says the same piece first appeared in the Washington Examiner on 3 March 2026.
He writes that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made clear that regime change is not the goal, and that an outcome led by Iranians would still be desirable. He points to a White House video and writes that Trump, on 1 March, called on Iranian patriots to seize the moment and said the rest would be up to them. This page does not print a full transcript of that video.
He argues the war serves an American interest, not only an Israeli one. He writes that Iran's ballistic missiles have killed dozens of Israeli civilians, and that a large missile force could threaten U.S. bases. He says degrading Iran's missiles, navy, nuclear work, and what he calls terrorism would let the United States turn more attention to China. He praises U.S. and Israeli forces for what he calls operational achievements. He says the operation will serve U.S. interests if Washington stays on its stated aims and applies lessons from past wars.
What other reporting and posts add
The president kept the door open that same week. On 2 March, Trump told the New York Post: "I don't have the yips with respect to boots on the ground" (see Trump pushes back on mounting criticism). On 7 March he was quoted on ground troops: "Could there be? Possibly, for very good reason." @financialjuice, 7 March 2026. (capture: twitter/t50__v597.md)
US intelligence doubted the "Iranians will do it" path. According to a Washington Post report as relayed on X, a National Intelligence Council assessment finished a week before the war found that the divided Iranian opposition was unlikely to seize control, and that the report "did not address other possible scenarios, including sending US ground troops to Iran or arming the Kurds." @UnplugTheEmpire, 7 March 2026. (capture: twitter/t13__v150.md) Israel's ambassador in Washington, Michael Leiter, said on 8 March: "our preference is for the boots on the ground to be those of the Iranians." Politico, 8 March 2026. (capture: twitter/t13__v145.md)
What "substantial" turned into. By late March the Pentagon had sent Marines and a brigade of the 82nd Airborne to the region, and The Washington Post reported preparations for weeks of ground raids (a250). About 90 US troops were later acknowledged to have gone into Iran for an April rescue (a238). (capture: twitter/t49__v577.md)
What it shows
This is the reassurance of the war's first week: no "substantial deployment of American ground troops," regime change left to Iranians. Set it beside the record. The US government's own intelligence assessment, finished a week before the war, found the Iranian opposition unlikely to take power. Israel's ambassador said he wanted Iranian boots, and Israel's press soon reported Israeli infantry would stay out. Within three weeks Marines and an 82nd Airborne brigade were headed to the region, the Pentagon was preparing weeks of ground raids, and by April about 90 Americans had fought on Iranian ground. When the Iranians do not rise, the ground force left in the plans is American (see No Boots on the Ground and The Buildup).
Check it yourself
Status: Donald Trump is alive. Marco Rubio is alive.
For a newcomer: the United States and Israel began bombing Iran on 28 February 2026; the US part is called Operation Epic Fury. The Heritage Foundation is one of Washington's best-known conservative think tanks and has close ties to Republican administrations. "Peace through strength" is a Reagan-era slogan for deterring enemies with military power. Written in the first week, this piece predicted no large American ground deployment. The sections below follow how that prediction held up.
Research captures: twitter/t50__v597.md, twitter/t13__v150.md, twitter/t13__v145.md, twitter/t49__v577.md
Last Updated: 2026-09-26